Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-03-19

over there, pointing IN the direction Of
very respectable old gentleman with white
hair and queer dried up face and clothed in
long and seefy ulster. He was sbuffiing along
from one shelf to another, examining every
thing furtively with his sharp, little, ferret
like eyes.
That man, said the dealer, has one OF
the fines porcelain collections IN this city.
He used To be rich, but now guess he has
10 hustle to get his three meals day prop
erly. When he was well of l thought moth
ing of selling him $1,000 worth OF goods ev-
cry M nth, but he hasn't spent cent here in
years, and have TO watch the old chap half
the til ne TO see that he doesn't walk of with
my bst things, for there isn't q better judge
Of the value Of a work Of art than he in
America
At the Astor and Mercantile libraries nu-
merous tricks and devices are used by un-
scrupulous collectors Of prints TO get possession
Of some rare picture ar edition. They either
cut the desired illustration our OF the BOOK,
thus running it forever, or take the work
away with them when they so, substituting
another volume already prepared in its
place. Since print collecting has come 70 he
80 popular some elegant works belonging to
the New York libraries have been ruthlessly
destroyed and very often stolen. The only
way TO put stop 10 these depretations Is TO
keep constant watch, and even then 20
tricky are the thieves ana so fertile OF device
that they carry on their practices beneath
the very eyes Of the ubrarians
1t was only few weeks ago that magnin-
cent qunrto WAS destroyed in library by
one Of these vsndals, armed with . sharp
knife and o ST. ong artistic desire 10 capture
rare print at the expense OF his principles OF
honor. Artistic thieves are sometimes OF
very respectable families, which the following
incident, well known TO most New YORK
artists and Bohemians, VIII illustrate:
gentleman living IN West Forty second
street owned among other paintings real
Rembrandt ~hich he had purcnased III
Europe at good round prlce, ana Wnlch was
very fair specimen OF that artists work
The other pictures were all light works by
American painters, but this picture, on ac-
count OF It's velue, occupied q room oy itsei'
and Its owner was very proud OF his posses
sion When hard times struck That family
and the collector was compelled TO hand every
thing over to the auctloneer II was then dis-
covered that the Rembrandt, that much
treasured painting 10 "nlcn all murray hiii
had bowed in reverence, was nothing Dut
clever forgery.
The gentleman who had owned II 50 many
years. and who considered hinsei no mean
! judge OF art, was dumbfounded and would
not believe II. An investigation proved that
the canvas on which the picture was painted
had the stamp OF New YORK hrm on It, and
that drying varnish had been mixed Win
the paint that was fhventen only twenty
years ago. The TACT that the picture was Do
gus was definitely settled by the arrival In
town OF wealthy brazilian VINO said ne nau
purchased in Europe the original OF the paint
ing, and that ali the critics m LONDON ana
Paris had combined In saying that ne mao
genuine feinoraiidt.
| Detectives were hnaliy set 10 WORK 10 ierre'
out the mystery and soon maae everything
clear Ihe son OF the american cohector'
who was Wild and disspated young man.
bad taken all artist friend into MS cohhoenee
and together they plotted TO e1change tne
| genuine picture Tor copy ihe triehd
worked on the copy at night ana soon pro
aucen iair iihi.~.ion, "niio 'oo so., "1 Vic
real picture went to Europe ana there sue
ceeded In selling It TO the braziiian
In Philadelphia another great picture was
spirited away for long while oy mucn tne
same means and not returned until the "neeis
OF the law were set IN motion Every now
and then We hear through the press OF the
robbery o. an art gallery, but hundreds OF
such thefts are committed which the puohc
at large never hear or Artists who go away
for the summer on sketching tours often re.
turn to find their studios transacted and
some OF 'neir oesa paintings cut i'''h 49,
| frames.
| The who owns a nIle c0ilertlOn OF DTlC-
a-brac or paintings or c"rios mas more het.l
TO look after the Sisitors ana anihirers u hil
treasures than among the servants OF nls
house Many an amateur VINO IS naaly ot'en
with the craze OF coiiecting curious WORKS
will buy what he wants as iong as ne can,
and then when the money gives OUT ne "iil
steal at the first chance the coveted articie
which he admires and must own Inc aver